FALLS CITY – In one week, Shorty’s Place, an iconic Karnes County restaurant, will change ownership and management, but the new owner hopes to continue the restaurant’s long-standing tradition of great food and great service while also offering some new delicious choices for customers.

Kenedy resident Walter Chance announced recently that the restaurant will open July 15 with the same name and same employees but some new workers will join the team in order to allow for extended operating hours.

Chance had been working on a plan to buy and renovate a restaurant on U.S. Highway 181 between Kenedy and Karnes City in order to bring a new restaurant and sports bar to Karnes County but was unable to move that plan forward.

He learned that the owners of Shorty’s Place, Lillian and Cotton Beam, had decided to sell the restaurant so the opportunity was there to move his vision forward while helping continue a long-standing tradition.

Chance said Shorty McGill started the restaurant in 1945, and the Beams assumed management in 1977 and eventually became owners.

Chance said he is excited about the new opportunity, becoming the third owner of the establishment since it all began 69 years ago.

The new plan is for the restaurant is to be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The menu will offer much of the same choices as have been local favorites for many year, Chance said, but some new items will also be added to the menu.

“We are keeping all the stuff that people who have been going to Shorty’s for years love like the okra and the 20-ounce ribeye steak,” Chance said.

The restaurant will be managed by Chance’s nephew, Nick Cassiano, who is a chef that has 15 years of experience in the restaurant business. Cassiano recently moved with his wife and seven-month-old baby to Kenedy from Alabama. Cassiano will also be part-owner of the restaurant, Chance explained.

In addition to the traditional favorites, Shorty’s will offer charbroiled steaks and hamburgers, draft and bottled beer, wine and Champagne mimosas on Sundays.

Almost immediately, large-screen TVs will be installed in the restaurant so that patrons can enjoy live sporting events and other television programing.

A buffet and salad bar will be added over time and eventually a full bar. “To go” service will also be a focus in the months ahead, Chance said. Outdoor seating is also planned to expand the capacity of the restaurant.

Chance said more information at a new Facebook page created for the restaurant at www.facebook.com/shortysplacetx.

“We are going to post the new menu on July 14 at our Facebook page,” Chance said.

Chance said his plan is to aim high in terms of customer service, quality of food and to continue to make the dining experience for visitors as great as it can be for many years to come.

He wants to continue all the things that have been so “great” about Shorty’s for so many years, but at the same time upgrade the restaurant’s equipment and technology as a way to bring a top quality dining experience to the people of Karnes County.

“We are really going to bring it up to the 21st century,” Chance said.